Fears Taking Over 5- Lashing Out
by Just4FunFiction
Summary: Despite the resolution that the Pride Landers will remain in their home, the damage has been done, and doubt has crept in. But the way it can manifest itself can lead to real consequences... just how bad can it get?


The evening sky was faintly illuminating the Pride Lands in a reddish hue, a sign that it was almost time to call it a day. Many animals had already retired to their resting grounds, with those that hadn't being mostly either nocturnal animals or those who enjoyed watching the sun set over the horizon. Among those still awake were the Lion Guard, who were completing their daily patrol. It had been a hectic couple of days, as the day before, an attack by Scar had interrupted the mjuzi in training's Mpando Mpaya celebration, and saw Mizimu Grove burnt down to practically nothing. The revelation of Scar's return had led many of the herds to consider abandoning the Pride Lands, and they were about to before Kion found the seed Makini had planned on planting for the celebration, and when they redid the ceremony, the herds decided that they would stay after all, and stand together against the former king's return. Because of this, during patrol, Kion and the Guard were extra diligent today- not just to ensure there were no attacks, which there weren't, but to ensure that the herds were doing okay.

"Okay, guys," Kion told his team. "Good work today. I know it's been difficult with everything that's happened, but we made it through it, and I'm glad you guys were by my side. I couldn't have done it without you."

"We're a team, Kion," Beshte reminded him. "Anything that comes our way, the Lion Guard will save the day!"

The lion cub couldn't help but smile, especially given the unintentional rhyme. "Well, thanks all the same. Now, it's business as usual tomorrow, so go get some rest. We'll meet at the lair in the morning."

"Night, you guys!" Bunga yelled as he ran off, causing the others to roll their eyes. After they made their own farewells for the night, they went their separate ways. Fuli, however, noticed that Kion was stood still, glancing at the sunset. Walking up to him, she could see the look on his face- it wasn't one of deep thought, as such, but more one of concern.

"You okay?" She asked. While she had expected him to simply say, "I'm fine", his actual response caught her by surprise.

"Something feels… different," he admitted, not taking his eyes away from the sunset ahead of him. "It's not exactly new, but… it's ominous. I'm not sure what to make of it, except… it feels like I'm different."

She tilted her head, curious about what he meant. "Different? Different how?"

"I'm… I'm not sure. I don't know what it means, but…" Uncertain what to say next, he sighed. "Maybe I'm just tired."

Fuli smiled. "Don't worry, Kion. You'll figure out what it means. For now, just head back to Pride Rock, get some rest, and if you still have that feeling tomorrow, then we'll figure it out together. It's like Beshte said- we're a team."

Kion gave a small laugh. "You always know just what to say." Finally looking at her, she saw the sincerity in his eyes as he told her this. "Asante, Fuli. I don't know where I would be without you."

Her smile grew upon hearing that. "I think you give me too much credit, Kion."

"Nah. Just the right amount." A small giggle escaped her lips, which made Kion's smile grow as well. "So, do you have somewhere to stay tonight?"

"Yeah. I've found a spot near the east side of the Watering Hole." She then smirked. "Were you hoping I'd stay with you at Pride Rock again?"

His cheeks turned red. "N-no, I… I was just… curious, you know?"

With a shake of her head, she laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm just messing with you. See you tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Fuli." He stayed there for a few seconds as he watched the cheetah run off in the direction of her temporary resting spot, before making his own way towards Pride Rock, the home of the royal family and all lions in the Pride Lands. While the air was starting to grow a bit cold as the skies grew darker, it wasn't much longer before Kion made his way up the rocky monument, and into the cave where his family were waiting. While Kiara was trying not to fall asleep against her mother's side, the king and queen were alert straight away to their son's presence. "I'm back."

"How was your patrol, Kion?" Nala asked.

"It was okay, though I can tell some of the herds are still feeling uncertain after what has happened."

"It is understandable," Simba sighed. "Something like this has never happened, as far as I am aware. It is only fair for everyone to be concerned for their safety- Scar is not to be taken lightly." He then gave his son a smile. "However, if it wasn't for you, the herds would have left, and the Pride Lands would be in a bigger state of uncertainty. But you were able to show that, no matter what we face, the Pride Lands can survive and prosper. You've done well today."

"Yeah, you did good, little brother," Kiara added, letting out a yawn which made her mother chuckle.

"Thanks, guys," Kion told his family.

"Well, it's getting late," Nala insisted. "We should all get some sleep, in preparation for what is to come tomorrow."

"You're right," the leader of the Guard acknowledged with a yawn of his own. "Goodnight, mom and dad."

"Goodnight, mom," Kiara said next, snuggling up with her mother. After the parents said the same, everyone lied down, with Nala and Simba laying side by side and Kion laying just a little bit away from his family by himself as he shut his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

"_Kion! KION! Get up!"_

_The sleeping cub felt his body being vigorously shook, causing him to open his eyes groggily, before finding his honey badger ally and Guard member, Bunga. "Huh? Bunga, what's going on?"_

"_It's Scar! He's launched an attack!"_

_This forced Kion to his feet in an instant, now fully alert. "What?! Where?"_

"_At the border to the Outlands!" Bunga explained. "Ono saw them. The hyenas, the jackals, the crocodiles, the vultures- pretty much every animal Scar is allied with is out there, heading towards the Pride Lands!"_

"_Hevi kabisa! We have to stop them! Where are the others?" _

"_Fuli, Ono, Beshte and your parents went to gather up the Pride Landers to face them, but they're going to need our help."_

"_Lead the way." Bunga nodded, and took off out of the cave, with Kion right on his heels. 'You're not going to take over the Pride Lands, Scar,' Kion thought. 'Not on my watch.' The two ran as fast they could down Pride Rock, not taking a moment to hesitate, and when they reached the bottom, they continued their pace in the direction of the Pride Landers. They ran all the way through the Pride Lands, with Kion noticing from time to time the different Pride Landers that would not be part of the fight, and were instead hoping to find shelter from what could ultimately be a war. 'We have to make sure that doesn't happen. This is our home and theirs- we have to defend it, no matter what.'_

_As they continued running, Kion saw Fuli appear on his right, matching her pace with his as she ran by his side. Looking to his left, he saw Ono and Beshte do the same, the Lion Guard now united. "What's the situation, Ono?" _

"_It's not good, Kion," he replied. "I tried to do some aerial recon, but the vultures almost took me down, so I had to escape. From what I saw, though, there was a lot of them. Not just the hyenas, crocodiles, jackals and vultures, though- they've also recruited Makucha and the leopards from the Backlands, and I'm pretty sure I saw Kenge among them too."_

"_What's the plan, Kion?" Beshte asked._

"_At this moment, I'm not fully certain," he answered honestly. "We'll need to see how many are on our side first."_

"_I managed to alert Ma Tembo and the elephants, so we'll have them on our side," Fuli told him. "Simba told me that he had gathered up most of the lionesses as well, with a couple of them and Kiara working to protect those who don't want to fight."_

"_The zebras immediately went into panic mode," Beshte spoke next, "but the antelopes and my pod are gonna fight with us too."_

"_I managed to find Hadithi, and he said he would rally up the birds of the Pride Lands to help us," Ono added. "I'm not sure who else, though."_

"_That's good," Kion spoke, feeling more confident now he knew to an extent how many were on their side. "We definitely have a chance, but we'll need a good plan of attack. I'll speak with my dad when we get there."_

"_Don't worry, Kion," Fuli assured him. "We're with you." _

_He saw Beshte and Ono nod upon hearing her say that, which gave him confidence. "Thanks, guys. I couldn't do it without you. Til the Pride Lands end!"_

"_LION GUARD DEFENDS!"_

_So, they continued to run across the Pride Lands, knowing that time was of the essence. When they finally reached the rest of the Pride Lands, Kion saw the true extent of what they were dealing with. The hyenas led the charge, with Janja at the forefront of them, though there were more hyenas than the Guard had ever faced, which either meant that there were more hyenas that they never knew about, or that Janja had recruited more allies. The jackals led by Reirei, and the leopards led by Makucha, were on either side of the hyenas, with the Kiburi and crocodiles and Kenge the monitor lizard following just behind, and Mzingo leading the vultures overhead._

_That being said, Kion was just as surprised at how many Pride Landers were going to fighting alongside them: there was the hippo pod, led by Beshte's father Basi; the antelope herd, led by Basi; the elephant herd, led by Ma Tembo; the crash of rhinos, led by Mbeya; the aardwolf pack, led by Mjomba; the gazelle herd, led by Swala; the giraffe herd, led by Twiga; the buffalo herd, led by Vuruga Vuruga; and a flock of birds of all variety within the Pride Lands, with Hadithi the Hero at the front of them. And ahead of all of them, were the lions of the Pride Lands, with King Simba and Queen Nala stood at the front of all of them. As the Guard reached him, Simba looked down at his son. "Good, you're here," He told him. _

"_What's the plan, dad?" Kion asked._

"_I'm afraid there's not that much to it. The most we can do is simply try and defend our home. As long as we stand together, we should be able to weather the storm."_

"_Well, don't worry, dad. We can do this."_

_The king smiled. "That's my boy." Trading the smile for a serious expression, he turned to face the rest of the Pride Landers. "Thank you all for standing with us today! While I wish that this was not the case, our home is under attack, and so, we will stand together as Pride Landers, and defend our home!" The army of Pride Lands gave a cheer to the king's motivational words. "On my go, we will meet them and send them back to the Outlands where they belong." He turned back to face the forthcoming attack. "Kion, if you will."_

_The cub nodded, then faced the same way as his dad. "Everyone, together. We'll fight for what's right!"_

"_PRIDE LANDERS UNITE!"_

_With a ferocious roar, Simba led the charge as the Pride Landers rushed into the battlefield. They eyed down the imposing Outlanders with confidence as the gap between the two sides became smaller and smaller, until there was no gap. Once this was the case, the fight erupted as Pride Landers fought Outlanders and Backlanders. Rhinos and buffalos used their horns to toss their enemies to the side; gazelles, antelopes and giraffes used their hooves to kick away at them; lions and aardwolves scratched, clawed and bit at those they could; the crocodiles engaged only with the opposing crocodiles as if it was the largest Mashindano in the Pride Lands' history; the birds of the Pride Lands took to the skies and fought wont the vultures overhead; and the hippos and elephants used their sheer strength to charge through those that sought to ruin their home._

_In the middle of the battle, Kion had found Janja and had pinned him to the ground. "It doesn't have to end this way, Janja! Call off your allies, and go back to where you belong!" He threatened._

"_You don't get it, do you?" Janja challenged, trying to escape the cub's grasp. "You've kept us out for too long. While we've struggled to survive, you've been living in luxury, for too long! It's our turn at the top!"_

"_We carry out order, while you create chaos! There is no place for that in the Pride Lands!"_

_A smirk graced the hyena's lips. "We'll see about that."_

_With as much force as he could muster, Janja kicked the lion cub away, forcing Kion to roll back a little. With a growl, he got to his feet, but when he felt a familiar bite on his shoulder, he lost all the strength in his legs, forcing him down to the ground again. Before he could even say anything, a burning, stinging pain struck the side of his neck, and his vision became blurry as he saw a certain king cobra slither away. Doing his best to look around, all he could see was the sight of the Outlanders turning the tides of battle in their favour. The Pride Landers were fighting as hard as they could, but the Outlanders were swarming them, with Simba being ganged up on by about ten hyenas. Looking the other way, Kion could see Bunga and Beshte back to back, trying to fend off the leopards and the jackals. Looking to the front once more, he saw Janja with his paw holding Fuli's head down to the ground, and though she tried, she couldn't escape. The hyena laughed sickeningly, before glaring at the lion cub._

"_It's over, Kion."_

'_No… it's… NOT!' Just like that, Kion could no longer feel the pain in his neck or the weakness in his legs. As he stood up once more, he instead felt a burning, angry fire inside of him, begging to be released. His eyes were almost glowing as the emblem on his shoulder glowed bright red, the flickering of flames all he could hear. The fire grew inside of him as his muscles tensed, summoning all the strength in his body, and before he knew it, he unleashed the mighty Roar of the Elders._

_But not the Roar that he knew. No, this Roar sent a torrent of flames out in every direction, going further than Kion could have possibly seen, even if he were not blinded by his rage. After a good ten seconds of roaring, Kion's eyes and emblem returned to normal. Settling his breathing, he opened his eyes, but the sight that he saw… it disturbed him. The Outlanders were no longer there, and the Pride Landers that were there were either writhing in pain or flat out dead, their furs and skins burnt to varying degrees. Kion looked around and saw that he was the only one still standing, much to his confusion and dismay._

'_What happened?!'_

"_K…K-Kion…"_

_The wheezing and coughing voice caught Kion's attention, and he gasped as he saw Fuli trying to get up, her face half burnt and her eye swollen shut. He rushed forward to help her. "Fuli! Stay still, you're going to be okay, just hang on!"_

"_Kion… what did you do…"_

_This caused the horror in the pit of his stomach to grow tenfold. "I… I did this?"_

"_Why, yes, Kion… What. Did. You. Do?" Looking past the cheetah, Kion saw a lion walking towards him. Kion knew that it was Scar without a doubt, but unlike the floating, bodiless fiery entity he had seen in recent months, this time, his form was restored to its former glory, from the deep red fur to the dark, black mane and the scar over his eyes that inspired his name._

"_No… n-no, I would never do this! I would never hurt my friends!"_

"_Oh, but you DID! Whether you meant to or not, your childish lack of expertise regarding the Roar of the Elders has done the one thing I had hoped to do myself- brought about the end of the Pride Lands."_

"_NO!"_

"_Oh, yes, Kion! The proof is all around you! YOU caused this! YOU are not WORTHY of the Roar!"_

"_LIES!"_

"_Not so, Kion! You know it to be true! And I know it too, for I AM worthy. The Roar channels your emotions, and is capable of so much more than even this!" His twisted grin then turned sinister. "Allow me to SHOW YOU!"_

_With the deepest breath Kion had ever seen, Scar unleashed his own Roar of the Elders. Unlike Kion's usual one, which saw the clouds turn into a group of lions, Scar's summoned a mighty lion made of fire from within himself, and that lion grew larger and mighty by the second. Kion could only stare in fright as it grew larger than Pride Rock itself, then glared down at the cub, and unleashed a roar of its own, before leaning forward and preparing to engulf the mighty cub. All Kion could do was scream in fear and try to run as the world around him grew dark, before…_

* * *

With a jolt and a mighty gasp, Kion leapt to his feet, his fur drenched in sweat. His eyes darted about as he breathed as rapidly as his heart beat, trying to figure out where he was, though the pounding in his head made this difficult, and caused him to stagger. Yet, despite the tears mystifying his vision and the lack of light entering where he was, he realised that he was at a Pride Rock.

"What's wrong, Kion?" He heard Scar's sickeningly suave voice in his ear, setting him even more on edge. He looked around trying to figure out where the former king was, but in his panic, his vision became disoriented, his pounding heart in his ears. "What's the matter?"

"Where are you?!" He roared, whipping his head from side to side in search of the voice's origin. "Show yourself!"

"Kion, it's me. What's wrong?" This time, the voice came from a different direction, but the sudden rush of fear from the night terror affected his perception.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Kion, I'm right here! Talk to me!"

"What's wrong, Kion?"

"Kion…"

"Kion!"

"KION!"

The cub rapidly turned around and slashed out with his paw, receiving a yelp of pain in response. However, it was not a yelp Kion would associate with the dead king. Blinking away the tears and shaking his head, he looked again and his heart sank. Now that his vision had corrected itself, he saw his older sister Kiara, holding a paw against her cheek, and when she pulled it away, they both became aware of the claw marks that were there, red with fresh blood. Looking down at his paw, Kion could just make out the crimson liquid on his claws. He looked back up and his feline vision allowed him to see that Kiara's eyes were now welling up as she retreated a couple of steps and stared back at him with what could only be summed up as terror.

"Kion!" He looked to the side and saw Simba staring at him, his expression nothing but shock. Looking to the other side, his mother was looking between her two cubs with shock and concern written all over his face. If Kion hadn't been hyper ventilating before, he was now, and in an instant, he bolted out of the cave with a torrent of tears falling from his face. "KION!" Simba watched for a few seconds at the open cave entrance, then turned to Kiara, who was silently sobbing as Nala approached her. "Kiara, are you okay?"

"I… what did I do?" She asked between sobs. "Why did he attack me?"

"You did nothing wrong, sweetie," Nala assured her pulling her into a hug that allowed her to nuzzle her daughter's back. As she felt her daughter cry into her chest, she looked to Simba. "Was it another nightmare?"

"I think so," he sighed, "but they were never like this, were they?"

"I don't think so…"

Simba saw the look of defeat in her eyes, and would be lying if he didn't feel it himself to a capacity. "I'm gonna go find Kion. Something is definitely wrong."

She nodded. "Okay."

"I'll be back soon." He then gives his daughter a small kiss and told her, "everything will be okay," before leaving the cave, heading off into the night in search of his son.

* * *

Kion never stopped running. His body was a mess, his heartbeat and his breathing threatening to cause him to collapse, but he never stopped. He didn't care where, or how long it took- he just knew that he couldn't trust himself around his family at that time. 'Why did I do that?!' He chastised himself. 'I just hurt my sister! She never did anything to deserve that, and I didn't want to, but I did! Why?' He could feel his limbs screaming in pain, but he refused to stop, and continued to push himself. 'No… I can't let that happen again. No matter what, I can't hurt anyone I care about again. Even if that means getting as far away as possible…' Lost in his thoughts, he became unaware of his surroundings and only focused on running. This would ultimately cause him to run into someone, tripping over them. As he got back to his shaky legs, he heard the animal that he had collided with groan in pain, causing his guilt to grow. 'Nice going, Kion… you just can't stop, can you? This is why I can't stop running. Otherwise, who knows who will be next?'

Despite his guilt, he continued to run, not realising that he had run into none other than Fuli, who had been asleep prior to the collision, and upon realising it was him, she watched as he ran off. "Kion! KION!" When he didn't respond, or even stop, she realised that something was up. 'Is he okay?'

"KION!" She could hear Simba shout, and when she turned around, she saw him nearby, looking around. "KION!"

"Simba! Over here!" She called out, jogging over to the king who turned her way upon being called to. "What's going on?"

"It's Kion. We think he's had another nightmare, and he reacted badly to it."

"How badly?"

"He… he struck Kiara." The cheetah couldn't even hesitate to gasp, the shock of the revelation too strong. "She's got some claw marks on her face, but I don't think they'll scar. She'll be okay. She's just shaken." He sighed, his heart feeling heavy. "I just wish I knew how to help Kion."

"Well, we'd better go. I just saw him."

His eyes went wide and darted towards her. "You did?! Which way did he go?!"

"This way!" She then began to run in the direction that the prince had gone, making sure to keep her speed low enough to follow but still fast enough so the two could hopefully catch up to him. 'What's up with you, Kion?'

The two ran for possibly another hour, judging by the positioning of the moon, and they hadn't found Kion. Fuli had managed to find a trail, and they followed it for as long as they could before it went cold, but this led them to the border of the Outlands. Once there, she sniffed around to try and find the trail again, but it wasn't there. "Great," she sighed, "I've lost it."

"Where could he have gone?" Simba pondered, growing worried for his son's whereabouts and wellbeing. "We can't wait until morning to find him. Who knows what would happen. We have to find him tonight."

"Well, what should we do? I'd go and find Ono, but his flock sleep at the other end of the Pride Lands. Even if I ran as fast as I can, it would take too long."

"I guess I will have to check the Outlands. If Kion has gone out there in his condition, then he may be in danger."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"Are you sure?" She nodded. "Alright. Stay close." She nodded again, and he two made their way down into the Outlands, the soft grass under their feet disappearing in 'favour' of hard, dry, lifeless earth. They knew it would be harder to search the Outlands due to the fact that there was less light that shone upon them during the day, so it would be especially tougher to see where they were going. They walked a short distance, trying to pick up the cub's scent as best they could, before they heard a familiar cackling. "Is that…"

"Janja," Fuli said, confirming the king's suspicions. "We'd better move. If they find Kion, he'll be in real trouble."

"Let's move." They ran through the Outlands, using the sounds of the hyenas' laughter to guide them through the maze-like landscape. It took them a few turns to find their way, but eventually, Fuli turned a particular corner and saw the hyenas in question. What worried her more, however, was the lion cub in front of them, passed out on the floor. "Kion!"

Hearing her shout, Simba looked and saw the same sight, causing his greatest fatherly fear to appear in the forefront of his mind. Seeing that the hyenas were approaching the cub, he grew angry. "Stay away from my son!" He roared as he and Fuli charged towards them.

"Ah, great. Even at night, can't go without you ruining our fun!" Janja whined.

"What did you do, Janja?!" Fuli challenged, flaring her teeth at her enemy. "What did you do to Kion?!"

"I'd love to take credit for this, I really would, but it pains me to say that this is how we found your buddy. We heard him running and crying, so we thought we'd teach him not to trespass, and lo and behold- one lion cub."

"Then I suggest you walk away while I give you the chance," Simba ordered. "Leave my son alone and head back to the rest of your clan."

"Ha! You think you can come into our turf, tell us what to do and expect us to do it?! Well, let me tell you-" the king cut him off by unleashing a ferocious roar, making Janja reconsider his next words. "… on second thought, take him. We'll, uh, just be going."

"Make sure you do!" The hyenas, though, didn't hear this, as they had already taken off into the night. Once he was certain that the scavengers had fled, he turned and approached his son once more, who Fuli was checking diligently. "Kion! Are you alright?"

"He's passed out," Fuli told him, her voice quiet and her head hung low. "I should have known."

"Known what?"

She looked up to the king and could tell he was concerned, so she decided that honesty would be the best course of action. "After patrol, Kion told me that something didn't feel right. That HE didn't feel right. He didn't know what, but…" She hung her head again. "I should've known something would happen."

"But you couldn't have known," Simba assured, "and you couldn't prevent it. And I know Kion wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over this. Right now, we need to get Kion to Rafiki."

She nodded, then proceeded to help lift Kion onto Simba's back. Once he was certain Kion was securely on his back, he led them out of the Outlands, with them both sharing the same thought: 'will Kion be okay?'

* * *

The next morning, Fuli woke up in Rafiki's tree, having spent the night there after she and Simba had brought Kion to the mjuzi. While the king had stayed to talk with Rafiki, he had to return to Pride Rock to check on his daughter and inform them of his son's condition. The mandrill had checked the unconscious cub and found no signs of physical damage or ailment, so there was little that could be done until he woke up. As she fluttered her eyes open, she saw Rafiki appear from where Kion had been placed, and he smiled upon realising she was awake.

"Good morning, Fuli," he greeted quietly, so as not to wake Makini.

"Morning," she replied, her voice equally quiet, with no glee behind her words. "How is he?"

"Sadly, he has not yet awoken. From what I gathered watching him, it was exhaustion that led to his collapse rather than injury, but other than that, there is nothing I can say."

"I see... may I check on him?"

"Be my guest."

"Asante." She got to her feet and walked over to where her friend was laid still as can be on his side. She could see the faint rises and falls of his chest, and she could see no signs of injury. In any other situation, this would provide the cheetah with relief, but the events that led to this meant that no such relief could be achieved, and it saddened her more than she had ever been. 'These nightmares are just getting worse, aren't they?' She pondered, thinking back to the previous occasions where Kion had been faced with night terrors. 'I was able to help him with those, so I hope I can help him again, but… this one seems different. I know he would never hurt Kiara deliberately… so what happened?'

Before she could ponder this more, she heard a small groan, and looked down to see Kion's head gingerly begin to move. "Where… where am I?"

"Kion!" She gave the first smile in nearly twelve hours as she moved forward and hugged him. "Thank the Kings you're okay!"

"Fuli?" He turned over to his front, forcing Fuli to release the hug so his eyes could meet hers. "What's going on?"

"You're at Rafiki's tree, Kion."

"Yes, you gave us all quite a fright!" The mandrill added as he reappeared. "Your father will be pleased to see that you have awoken."

"Kion…" Looking back at Fuli, he could see the conflicted expression on her face. "Do you remember… what happened last night?"

"Last night…" After a few seconds of thought, his eyes widened as it rushed back to him, from the nightmare to waking up and then fleeing to the Outlands, all up until his collapse. "Oh, no…" His face was then washed over with guilt and shame. "No, no, no… I can't believe I did that… What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you, Kion. You had a bad nightmare, and it freaked you out."

"No…" he shook his head, not able to bear to look at her. "No, this was different… I was wide awake when it happened, and I chose to strike. I should have know it was her, but I didn't, and I hurt her."

It hurt her to hear him talk so badly about himself. "Kion, that's not who you are, and you know that. You didn't mean to, and you wouldn't willingly hurt anyone you cared about. I know that, and deep down, you know that."

"That doesn't change what I did."

"I know, but it shows that you aren't that lion." She stepped forward to try and hug him again, but he stepped back, almost afraid. "Kion…"

"… y-you need to leave. The Guard will be at the lair soon, and I don't… I don't trust myself right now."

"Kion-"

"I need you to take over patrol today, Fuli. Maybe longer…"

"No, Kion. I'm not just going to-"

"I SAID GO!" His sudden outburst came as a complete shock, forcing her to jump back. With wide eyes, she saw his flared teeth and heavy breathing, though the anger in his eyes soon became regret, and then despair. "Just go… please. You're better off if you stay away from me."

"Kion… please…"

"Just… go."

As her tears welled up and the pain in her heart became too much to bear, she fled, leaving Kion alone with the mjuzi. As much as it hurt her to hear those words, it was nothing in comparison to how much it hurt Kion to say them, which Rafiki could tell.

"You should not have pushed her away," he told the guilt ridden cub.

Kion simply lied down, his eyes looking at the mural paintings on the wall. "It's better this way," he quietly muttered with tired, sad eyes. "I'd rather hurt myself by pushing her away, than hurt her by being close to her."

**THE END?**


End file.
